Edaphic
Guides
Acerentomidae
coneheads
Acerentomidae is a family of minute, wingless, eyeless soil-dwelling hexapods in the order Protura. Members lack tracheae and rely on cuticular gas exchange for respiration. The family exhibits exceptional diversity in the northeastern Palearctic, with 31 species documented from Siberia and the Russian Far East, and 19 species in 13 genera in Arctic regions alone. Arctic species typically possess more setae than temperate relatives and show high endemism with restricted distributions.
Adamystidae
Adamystidae is a family of predatory soil mites in the order Trombidiformes, comprising the sole family of the monotypic superfamily Adamystoidea. The family contains at least three genera: the extant Adamystis and Nannodromus, and the extinct †Saxidromus. These mites are edaphic, inhabiting soil and leaf litter, and are characterized by specific morphological features of the propodosoma and idiosoma that distinguish them from related anystine mites.
Alaocybites
A genus of small, eyeless or microphthalmic weevils in the family Raymondionymidae. Originally described from California with two eyeless species, the genus was later discovered in the Russian Far East (Primorsky Kray) and represented by a fossil in Alaska. The genus is characterized by reduced or absent eyes and the absence of tarsomere IV on all legs, traits associated with edaphic (soil-dwelling) habits.
Isotomiella
Isotomiella is a genus of springtails (Collembola: Isotomidae) established by Bagnall in 1939. The genus contains edaphic (soil-dwelling) species with broad Holarctic distribution. The most studied species, Isotomiella minor, exhibits parthenogenetic reproduction and shows significant intraspecific genetic and physiological variation across urban and natural habitats.
Oppiidae
Oppiidae is a large and diverse family of oribatid mites comprising over 1000 described species. These microarthropods inhabit soil and litter layers across varied terrestrial ecosystems worldwide, from coastal sands to forest floors and grasslands. The family is taxonomically complex with numerous genera, many of which have restricted distributions or are poorly studied in particular regions such as Mongolia and Korea.
Stratiolaelaps
Stratiolaelaps is a genus of predatory mites in the family Laelapidae, with at least nine described species. The genus is best known from Stratiolaelaps scimitus, a polyphagous soil-dwelling predator native to the Northern Hemisphere that has been commercialized globally as a biological control agent. Members of this genus inhabit soil, litter, and rhizosphere environments where they prey on small invertebrates including fungus gnat larvae, thrips pupae, nematodes, and other mites. The genus exhibits haplodiploid sex determination and has been subject to extensive study regarding mass rearing, genetic management, and behavioral responses to chemical cues.